Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Major General Sultan Al-Arada, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), affirmed that the armed and security forces represent the fundamental pillar for security, stability, and liberation. He noted that the PLC highly values the sacrifices of the personnel in the military and security institutions and continuously monitors their issues and needs.
Al-Arada’s remarks came during a meeting he held with the Chief of the General Staff, several undersecretaries of Marib governorate, and military and security commanders. The meeting focused on discussing field developments and bolstering the level of preparedness in the face of security and military challenges.
Al-Arada stated that the major national cause around which all national forces must rally is the restoration of the state and the liberation of the capital, Sana’a, from the Houthis. He called for national forces not to be preoccupied with side disagreements, immediate problems, or the legacy of the past, but to focus on the unified objective for which they came together.
“The people place great hopes on you,” Al-Arada added. “Therefore, bear the trust as you should, and continue to raise the banner of liberation. Everyone is ready to make sacrifices, and lives are cheap for the sake of restoring glory to the Yemeni people.”
Al-Arada emphasized that all national military formations are comrades-in-arms on the path toward the goal of state restoration. He asserted that Yemen would not regain its standing and role until it is rid of what he termed the Iranian-backed Houthi militias, which target the national identity and undermine efforts toward peace and stability.
In closing, the PLC member expressed deep gratitude for the stances of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He stressed that the coalition has not abandoned Yemen in its darkest circumstances and that its support has been, and remains, a cornerstone for the steadfastness of the state and the Yemeni people in confronting the Houthi project.
Al-Arada’s speech comes amid rapid military and political changes taking place across Al-Mahrah and eastern Yemen in general. On Thursday morning, the forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced they had established complete control—without a fight—over military, security, and administrative institutions in Al-Mahrah governorate, including the city of Al-Ghaydah and the land ports bordering the Sultanate of Oman, in addition to the Nishtun Port on the Arabian Sea. This occurred after they lowered the flag of the Republic of Yemen and raised the STC’s flag over government buildings and ports.
This expansion followed hours after intense clashes in Hadramowt, during which STC forces seized control of the protection sites for oil companies on the Al-Masila plateau. Their sphere of influence expanded to include the oil fields there, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Hadramowt Tribal Alliance forces from their positions. The STC forces were also able to assert control over military brigades in the Hadramowt Valley and Desert, including the 11th Border Guard Brigade and the 23rd Mechanized Brigade.
